Rural children 'forgotten' in youth centre funding

Goole Youth Action provides outreach services for children in East Yorkshire

Young people in rural areas are missing out on "critical" services due to a "postcode lottery", charities have warned.

Villages and towns have been "forgotten" in youth centre funding, one East Yorkshire youth worker said.

The National Youth Agency (NYA) said about 2.25 million young people were "constantly overlooked".

The government said it was "committed to increasing services for young people across the country".

About 25% of youth organisations have not reopened since the Covid pandemic, according to the NYA.

Leigh Middleton, the charity's chief executive, said rural youth projects were "far more likely to not have reopened".

The government announced £70m in funding to build new and refurbish existing youth centres in August, but much of it went to projects in cities and large towns.

Mr Middleton said rural youth work was "incredibly patchy across the country".

"It's an absolute postcode lottery, depending on what provision you've got, where you are, and that can be affected by things like transport links and the availability of public spaces, village halls," he added.

"We've got as a country to take a different approach to seeing teenagers as a priority."

Phil Jackson says good youth work is "absolutely critical" to keeping young people out of trouble

'Forgotten children'

Alex, 17, says a lack of activities in Goole and surrounding villages means "some people find themselves getting into trouble for anti-social behaviour".

"They go climbing buildings that they shouldn't do," he added.

Debbie Fletcher, a youth worker for the charity Goole Youth Action, said young people in villages were often "forgotten children".

"No-one ever thinks about checking in on them, and how they are doing," she said.

The charity provides outreach services to young people in rural areas using funding from the National Lottery and the Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner.

Phil Jackson, the charity's chief executive officer, said: "Trained Youth Workers are inspirational and can make an enormous difference to young people's lives, where they haven't got a trusted adult in their lives who could inspire them".

Mr Middleton said youth centres could be "a lifeline" for teenagers.

"It can help them engage in their education, it can help them to look at their futures and invest in them. They feel part of something, they feel part of a community, and that is so important."

A spokesperson said the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: "The government believes every young person deserves the best start in life. Whilst youth services are for local authorities, we are committed to increasing services for young people across the country."

They added the government's Youth Investment Fund would see 300 youth centres across the country rebuilt or redeveloped "with a particular focus on isolated areas and those of high need".